Chronic wasting disease case confirmed in Cherokee County

CHEROKEE COUNTY – Officials announced on Friday they have received confirmation of a case of chronic wasting disease in Cherokee County according to our news partners at KETK. This marks the first detection in a deer breeding facility in the county, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD.) Officials said a 4-year-old buck tested positive after annual chronic wasting disease surveillance at the facility using postmortem testing.

The National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Iowa confirmed the detection after the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory initially analyzed the samples. “CWD has an incubation period that can span years, so the first indication of the disease in a herd is often found through surveillance testing rather than observed clinical signs,” TPWD said in a release. “Early detection and proactive monitoring improve the state’s response time to the detection of CWD and can greatly reduce the risk of further disease spread.”